At the Drop of a Feather
by What Lies Beyond
Summary: That's how fast a simple mission can turn into something much more dangerous. Ari, Landon, and Ophelia are sent on what at first seems to be an easy assignment at a nature preserve, but the situation quickly turns complicated, especially when their paths cross that of a diabolical Hunter in the midst of a hunt...A Hunter who also knows the deadly secret one of the agents hides.
1. Chapter 1

_**Hi guys! So, something a little different today (and I know you're wondering why this is here instead of an update on**_ **Shifters** _ **or—possibly—**_ **Curse.** _ **I'll get to that**_ **).** _ **This story is…Well, it's interesting. Or at least, I hope it will be when all is said and done, and—**_

 _ **I should stop rambling.**_

 _ **Anyway, I'd like to thank AdmiralDaala1492 for not only accidentally inspiring this fic, but also for letting me borrow characters that (I think) are technically his. I say 'I think' because they're characters I created when he was looking for OCs for his fics, which involve this organization that these characters are a part of…**_

 _ **Well, it's pretty confusing, especially considering the sheer number of OCs we've collaborated on for his fics, which the site apparently ate a couple months back for absolutely no reason at all. I'm also—I think—beta-reading his rewrite of one of said fics, since he's sending the drafts through the PM system and I'm still not entirely sure how being a beta actually works…but considering the rewrite hasn't popped up as of the time this should have, I'm assuming that's what I'm doing. Feel free to correct me on that.**_

 _ **(This fic actually came into being during one of said discussions about the story he put up after the site ate his other works. I recommend you check it out.)**_

 _ **So…I think that's about it. Well, other than why some of you are wondering why this isn't a**_ **Shifters** _ **chapter. Said chapter is mostly done and hopefully will be up soon, and I promise to include an explanation there. After reading it, I hope you'll understand.**_

 _ **I don't own Pokémon, any concept or character created by AdmiralDaala1492, and until I know otherwise, I'm not very sure about any of the other characters. Nor do I own—obviously—Abney Park's song**_ **The Wrong Side** _ **, or the fan-made music video that accompanies it. I bring this up because the guy sitting on the wall in the first 22 seconds is basically how I picture Ari looking. So yeah.**_

* * *

Hey Featherboy!"

Ari jumped with a startled yelp, his reading glasses slipping down his nose as he spun around. The large tome he'd been carrying slipped out of his hands, and it was only thanks to Omen's quick Psychic that it didn't land on either the Umbreon or his Trainer's feet. Ignoring the floating book, Ari glared at the two people who had snuck up on him, pushing his glasses back into place. "I t-told you not to call me that, Landon."

The older Agent shrugged good-naturedly. "So?"

"Maybe I don't want to advertise what I am?"

"Oh, come on. We're the only two who know, and that's because we saved your life."

"Landon, sometimes I swear you're denser than a pile of dirt." Ophelia cut in, lightly punching her twin in the arm as she passed him in the hall. Stopping by Ari, she reached out to grasp something in his hair, and he winced as she pulled it out. Then he saw what it was, and his face tried to both pale and blush at the same time. "Not again…"

Ophelia handed him the fluffy brown feather. "At least it matches your hair color this time. White on brown is a little conspicuous, don't you think?"

Ari sighed, slipping the feather into the pocket of his long tan coat. "Yeah, but it means I still spent most of the day walking around with a feather in my hair. I thought I'd caught them all this morning when I returned…"

"Like a feather or two is enough to clue people in. Honestly, do you see some of the things other people get in their hair and then forget about? Why, just the other day—"

" _Landon!_ "

"Whoops, sorry, 'Lia. Just trying to convince Ari here that that little bit of brown fluff isn't going to end the world. Say, Ari, what's with the dictionary?"

Omen let the book drop from where he'd been hovering it at about shoulder-height, and Ari caught it, thanking his Umbreon before tucking it under his arm. "It's actually a compilation of records that I thought it might be useful to go over for one of the other cases. Not that it's really been that useful so far, but we'll see. Anyway, you obviously wanted me for something?"

Ophelia nodded. "Yeah." She pointed at Ari, Landon, and herself. "Brains, brawn, medic."

Ari blinked. "Come again?"

"A mission, dude!" Landon said, good-naturedly heckling the younger agent. "We're going on patrol."

Ophelia nodded, pulling out a map and unfolding it. "Jeremiah wants to patrol this area here, in southern Kalos. There's a nature preserve there, and not only have they recently imported a number of Pokémon, but there have been several incidents of minor vandalism. He's sending us in under the guise of surveying the preserve's population—which we'll be doing anyway—as well as keeping an eye out for the culprits. From the sound of things, it'll be an easy trip."

Refolding the map, she handed it to Ari along with a small envelope. "Here's a more detailed report, as well as some general guidelines for equipment. We meet at the airstrip tomorrow at five AM."

Still looking slightly taken aback, Ari nodded. "I understand. Tomorrow, then?"

"Tomorrow."

With that, the trio parted ways; Ophelia heading down a side-hallway, Landon following after mock-saluting Ari. He watched them go, then, after a moment, looked down at Omen. "Well, I guess the records are going to have to wait."

" _Bree."_ Omen agreed.

* * *

Back inside his quarters, Ari placed the last piece of gear on the list on his bed, running a critical eye over everything already there. Medicine, notebooks, various pieces of tech…Some of it he already knew he wouldn't be taking—he had no need, given his… _talent_ —while some of it he'd need to think over. After all, there were any number of events, both likely and unlikely, that could crop up.

Picking up a handful of the equipment, Ari moved it over to his desk, beginning the 'reject' pile. There was a shuffling sound as the various objects hit the wooden surface, and Ari peeked underneath, grinning at what he found.

His Jolteon, Theo, was glaring unamusedly from the middle of a mass of fur of various lengths and textures. No doubt the Electric-type wanted to get up from the makeshift bed Ari had created under there, but considering he was surrounded by fellow Eeveelutions, it wasn't going to be the easiest to do. From the looks of things, Theo had been dozing and Jet, Pixie, and Cas had curled up around him, the Vaporeon and Sylveon to either side, the Glaceon somehow worming her way under his chin. Oracle in turn was leaning against Pixie, and Omen had naturally curled against his Espeon sister when he and Ari had returned. Corran the Leafeon and Kelvin the Flareon were also visible in the muddle, somehow tangled around not only around eachother but with Pixie and Cas, and on top of the whole group were Ari's two Eevee, Darius and Aeon, Aeon's silver fur glinting softly.

Chuckling softly, Ari shook his head before helping extricate Theo, who stretched and hopped up onto the space he had just cleared. Ari scratched his Starter's ears fondly, before returning to the task at hand. "So, bud, ready for another mission?"

Theo gave a soft bark, tilting his head.

"No, I haven't decided who else I'm taking yet. The others are all asleep, remember?"

Another yip.

"No, Theo, you are not going to wake them up. At least, not yet. And no static this time, all right? Remember what Aeon's fur did last time?"

Theo snorted.

"I said no, and that's that. Why are you so stubborn, you old thing?"

The Jolteon growled, though it was more playful than serious. Ari and his Eeveelutions understood eachother better than most Trainers and their Pokémon, and that was even without Ari's unique skill set. Take into account that he'd had Theo the longest out of any of the ten, and it meant that they understood eachother almost perfectly despite the language barrier. "Look, I can understand that. But that was the one mission! Just because I left you behind that one time and things went south doesn't mean anything. And besides, you were at that raid, even if you and I weren't battling together, so you can't claim you weren't there. It's not my fault—or yours—that I got shot." Ari rubbed lightly at his shoulder, which still sometimes ached. The two scars there—one closer to his collarbone, the other nearly nicking the joint—all that remained of the wounds that had sent him tumbling from the sky. Talent or not, he'd been lucky to survive the fall. "Stuff is gonna happen, Theo, whether you're there or not."

"That being said," he continued, reaching out and tweaking the Jolteon's ear, "You're coming this time. Now to figure out who the other five will be."

Of course, this turned out to be relatively easy. Ari had finished his packing by the time the rest of his Pokémon had woken up, and he took a few minutes to explain the upcoming mission to them. Jet and Pixie immediately returned to their spot under the desk, neither of them interested in another mission so soon after their last one. Cas, Kelvin, and Corran had all perked up at the mention of a mission, so it was pretty obvious that they were coming this time.

That just left two open slots, and Ari was debating whether or not he should bring either Darius or Aeon along. After all, they did need to start getting some experience in the field, and a simple patrol would be a good way to begin. The question then became, however, which Eevee to take, and whose spot they would be taking—Oracle and Omen usually both went on the same missions. That problem was solved, however, when Omen gave his sister a lighthearted swat on her flank and joined Jet and Pixie on the makeshift Pokémon bed. After a minute, Darius followed.

Mentally weighing the pros and cons of the team assembled in front of him, Ari decided that it was a good combination and swapped in the necessary Pokéballs, going over a list of things he still needed to do. He glanced at the clock, estimated how long each task would take, and sighed. _So much for getting any sleep tonight. Guess I'll be catching up on those hours in the chopper. Joy._

"Alight guys, the next thing we need to do is get you all cleared for duty, and then we can enjoy a nice meal before hitting the sack. What do you say?"

All six of the volunteers whined in dismay, while a loud sigh of relief came from under the desk.

"Look, it's not my rule. Everyone, Pokémon and human, has to get medical clearance twenty-four hours maximum before going on a mission, and I just learned we were going on patrol a couple hours ago. Look, I'll talk with Maddie; maybe she can get you some Poffins afterwards or something. _If_ you behave, okay?"

Six tails began to wag as their owners straightened up hopefully.

* * *

Unsurprisingly, Ari was the last one to arrive at the airstrip, and that was due to the fact that his Pokémon weren't always the most cooperative. Like now. Still, in the end, the issue had been resolved without too many uses of various attack moves, his room was still mostly in one piece, and he'd actually managed to catch about two hours of sleep, so that was something.

He handed his backpack off to Landon, who tossed it in the back of the helicopter with the rest of the gear, and returned Cas, who had decided to accompany him this morning. As he climbed into the chopper, Ari took the offered headset and thoughtfully provided pillow—something that appeared to be common for early-hour flights—and retreated to a window seat, fastening his restraints before propping the pillow up against the glass.

He'd just closed his eyes when Landon dropped in next to him. "So, ready for this?" the older agent asked.

"Not really," Ari replied, cracking open one eye. "I was up most of the night."

"How come?"

"Let's just say that some of us have Pokémon that like to decide that the interval between announcing a mission and leaving for that mission—especially if they aren't going—is time to drive everyone else bonkers."

"What happened?"

"You don't want to know. Suffice to say I had to fish Darius out of the toilet and leave it at that."

"You're kidding, right?"

"Multiple times."

Across the narrow isle, Ophelia winced in sympathy. "Landon, let the poor kid get some sleep. He's gonna need all the rest he can get."

"I was just asking. Besides, can't he just…?"

"No. It doesn't work like that." Ari cut in, listening to the sound of the helicopter's blades as they sped up. The headset helped to dampen it, but it was still rather loud. He was beginning to wonder if he would be able to sleep during the trip. "Besides, there are disadvantages. Metabolism and healing, to mention."

"How are those problems?"

"A faster metabolism mean I use up my energy quicker, and my healing rate is influenced by a number of factors you don't have to deal with. Now can we drop the subject, because I'm starting to get a little unnerved with discussing this, and besides, I could really use some sleep?"

"Yeah, sorry 'bout that. It's just so fascinating, Y'know?"

Ari sighed. "I guess. We can talk more later. Just let me sleep for now, all right?"

"Sure thing, Featherboy."

"Please stop calling me that…"

He knew Landon wouldn't, of course. To be honest, if it wasn't for the fact that it referenced his talent, he really wouldn't care. Landon had nicknames for nearly _everyone_. Still…

Ari sighed, adjusting the pillow slightly. He had a feeling it was going to be a long week…

* * *

 _ **I know it's short, but this is just the intro. There should be more going on next chapter. Bonus points to anyone who can figure out Ari's talent (though I think there are more than enough clues to make it obvious) and I'd like to hear any other thoughts regarding it, as there may be additional points to hand out…**_

 _ **Also, in case you are confused about Ari's Pokémon:**_

 **Theo: Jolteon, male, Ari's Starter Pokémon**

 **Jet: Vaporeon, male**

 **Pixie: Sylveon, female**

 **Oracle: Espeon, female**

 **Omen: Umbreon, male**

 **Corran: Leafeon, male**

 **Kelvin: Flareon, male**

 **Cas: Glaceon, female**

 **Darius: Eevee, male**

 **Aeon: Eevee, female, Shiny**

 _ **Only six of these Pokémon are on his team at any time; the rest are left behind and are considered "off duty". Currently, Ari's team is as follows:**_

 **Theo**

 **Cas**

 **Corran**

 **Kelvin**

 **Oracle**

 **Aeon**

 _ **Hope this helps!**_

 _ **(Oh, and expect this to possibly go on hiatus at some point, since I have both other fics and real life to deal with. Thanks for reading!)**_


	2. Chapter 2

_**Hi again. As you can see, I'm not dead. I've just been working on other fics and other projects-mostly school related. Anyway, short little chapter here, mostly because I wanted to reassure you guys that I haven't abandoned** **this little fic, and also because I am buried under so much Exam Stuff that I'm probably not going to be posting anything for a while. Seriously, I have so much to do that I don't even have time to play Ultra Moon right now, because as much as that game provides stress relief, I can't afford to get sucked into it.**_

 _ **As usual, I don't own Pokemon. Nor do I own Union Ent., which belongs to AdmiralDaala1942. That being said, I have created a few characters who work for Union Ent.**_

 _ **And, as I mentioned last chapter, I was going to give points to those who had guesses about Ari's talent. So congrats to AveragePichu and caitou zzzzzz, who each get a point! Oh, and caitou-you're very, very close, but not quite ;)  
**_

* * *

A shift in the pitch of the propellers woke Ari from a light doze, and he blinked against the evening light streaming in from the window. He started to stretch, became aware of a weight on his bad shoulder, and glanced over.

Landon had fallen asleep at some point and, having slumped over onto Ari's shoulder, was now proceeding to drool on his coat.

Wrinkling his nose in disgust, Ari pushed the older agent back into his own seat. Landon made a sort of snuffling sound and started leaning again, so Ari shoved him a second time. He put a little too much of his strength into the push, however, and Landon toppled over the other way, falling into the aisle.

He reacted faster than Ari would have thought possible, jerking awake at the last second and throwing out a hand to break his fall. Like Ari, he blinked a few times to adjust to the light as a puzzled expression crossed his face. "Odd. I must've leaned over in my sleep again…Hey Ari, are we descending, or is it just me?"

"We're descending." Ari replied, not even bothering to glance out the window. "And before you ask, I think it's because we're actually near our destination, not turbulence again."

Landon nodded. "About that…No hard feelings, right?"

"Not really, no." Granted, it hadn't been one of his proudest moments, staggering off the copter and into the nearest bush to be sick after they'd hit a sudden storm and been forced to land and wait it out. It also hadn't helped that Landon had asked why he'd gotten airsick if he was a flyer himself. Ari had had to rather pointedly explain that there was a difference between flying with his own wings and with someone else's.

Still—and it was likely to get him into trouble at some point—Ari found it rather hard to hold a grudge.

Across the aisle, Ophelia rolled her eyes before glancing out her window. "I can see our client's ranch house. You guys better make sure you've got everything—If the schedule were any tighter and he could get away with it, Jeremiah'd be airdropping us."

No sooner had she spoken then their headsets crackled to life. "Alright guys, this is your stop. Welcome to Kalos, and thanks for flying Union Ent. Airlines! Enjoy your vacation, and watch your step when you disembark."

Landon chuckled. "Yeah, yeah. Nice one, Kenji. You think taking a survey of the few thousand of Pokémon living here is going to be a vacation? Relaxed, yes. A vacation, no. Ever get kicked by a Tauros? And then chased by it immediately after?"

The pilot laughed. "Hey, I'm just the guy flying you agents wherever you need to go. The most action I ever see is when I have to pull someone out of a combat situation while dodging Pokémon attacks and shrapnel, and even that's not that common." There was a bump as the chopper set down in the grass, Ophelia and Landon standing as soon as it touched down, Ari a second later.

Kenji threw them a thumbs-up as the three agents disembarked. "As I said, enjoy the vacation, guys. I've got to get back pronto—Something big's going down in one of the other regions and I want to catch a few hours downtime before I've gotta start moving the next group out. Riley'll be back in a week to pick you up."

"Got it. Thanks, Kenji." Ari replied. Some instinct warned him of an incoming object, and he caught his bag seconds before it would have hit him. He heard Ophelia tell Landon to be more careful in the background. "Good luck."

"Right back at'cha." The pilot replied with a grin, and Ari stepped back as the helicopter blades whirred back to life and the chopper headed for the sky once more. Ari watched it recede into the distance for a couple minutes, then let Aeon and Theo out of their Pokeballs, picked up the Eevee and let her settle on his shoulder, and turned to his companions. "So…Onward?"

* * *

Ari had the distinct feeling they were being watched as they approached the house, and his suspicions were confirmed as his eyes caught a movement in one of the windows seconds before the door was opened. A teenager with light-brown hair and a suspicious look on his face peered out at the three agents, his eyes widening for a split second when he glimpsed Aeon. "Whaddya want?"

"A Mrs. Leanne Summers contacted us about a census she needed done of the Pokémon on her preserve," Landon said smoothly. "Would you be able to tell us where to find her?"

"Yeah, gimme a sec." The teen replied. He turned back into the house. "Mom! The survey people are here!"

"One second!" came the reply, and a middle-aged woman came to the door, a small feline Pokémon Ari had never seen before trailing after her.

"Good to see you. I was starting to worry," she greeted warmly. "There was a nasty storm that blew through earlier…I hope you didn't get caught in it."

"I think we might have skimmed its edges, but our pilot was able to find a place to land and wait it out." Ophelia replied. "Still, we had hoped to arrive earlier than this, Mrs. Summers."

"Just call me Leanne. Your late arrival is no trouble; I wasn't expecting you to get started until tomorrow anyway. There are a few things I'd like to go over beforehand." She turned back to her son, who had been loitering sulkily in the doorway. "Luke, would you go find the twins? Dinner will be in half an hour, so they need to come inside and get ready."

"Yes, Mom." Luke replied. He started towards the back of the house, then stopped to call over his shoulder, "C'mon, Fitz!"

An elderly, slightly overweight Jolteon snuffled his way out of the bushes and trotted after the teen. Ari noticed his own Jolteon watching curiously. "If you want to follow them, Theo, go right ahead. Just don't make a nuisance of yourself."

Theo graced Ari with a disdainful look: _Do I look like Darius to you?_

"Go on, you." Ari replied, and with a sniff, Theo loped off after the other Jolteon. He wasn't actually upset, Ari knew, but he would likely use the snit as an excuse to hang around Fitz for a good portion of the evening. And while Theo wasn't exactly a young Pokémon anymore, perhaps he could learn a thing or two from an elder of his species.

Leanne watched with mild concern. "You're okay with your Pokémon roaming? I'm sure you've heard about the recent vandalism. I'm afraid they may be the beginnings of something worse…"

"Theo'll be fine." Ari replied. "He's got a lot of common sense and is strong enough to get out of most situations on his own. Besides, I doubt anything'll happen this close to your house."

Leanne nodded. "You're right. So far, everything that's happened has been out in the preserve itself." She frowned. "But I can't help but worry about the safety of my children…"

Ophelia put a sympathetic hand on the other woman's shoulder. "We'll do what we can to get to the bottom of this before we leave. Why don't you explain everything in detail inside?"

"Right. We can discuss matters more in the living room. It's this way—Just watch out for Prowl. He's easy to trip over."

"Who?" Landon asked, looking down around his feet. Not paying attention, he walked into the door-frame instead of through the door. "Ow!"

Leanne pointed at the black and red catlike Pokémon that had followed her. "That's Prowl. The twins named him that because he's a stickler for order to the point of looking for things out of place, and because he's quite the serious little thing, even for a Litten. That, and he's also—"

Further conversation was cut off as the newly-identified Pokémon wandered over to Ari and sniffed at his coat. The reaction was unexpected: Prowl stiffened, his wide yellow eyes going even wider, and abruptly toppled over onto his side, one hind leg twitching every few seconds.

Ari stared down at the small Pokémon. "Er…Does he do this often..?"

Leanne nodded. "We're not sure if it's epilepsy or something else. But I don't know why sniffing at your coat would trigger it…"

Ari felt a brief spike of fear that he managed to prevent from showing on his face. He was fairly sure he knew why he'd gotten that reaction.

After all, it was quite unlikely that the Litten had ever encountered a nonhuman before.

Ophelia and Landon exchanged a quick glance, though this went unnoticed by Leanne, who was standing in front of them, and Ari, still staring down at the unresponsive Pokémon that had fallen over practically on his feet. After a beat, Ophelia asked, "I believe we were headed to the living room to discuss matters further..?"

"Oh! Of course." Leanne brushed past the two agents and headed further down the hall. "Right this way—and could someone bring Prowl? It's been a while since his last episode, and I don't want him getting stepped on."

Ari obligingly scooped up the small Pokémon, then followed behind everyone else as they headed towards a large room towards the rear of the house. Furnished with carpet, an entertainment center, and the usual array of a couch and two chairs, as well as a laden plant stand, it gave off a welcoming air. It was also littered with the clutter that came with small children, and Ari was careful to avoid stepping on something that looked like a miniature Pokémon ranch—complete with dolls and figurines—as he made his way over to one of the chairs. Ophelia and Landon settled onto the couch, while their hostess perched lightly on the edge of the second chair.

Now that Ari could get a better look at Leanne, he noticed how tired and nervous she seemed, as if the preserve's problems were more severe than he'd initially been led to believe. He listened intently as she began to speak. "I want to thank you all first before I get to the…incidents. My husband and I try to conduct a population survey every few months, and even with Gideon's assistance, it can be rather difficult."

At Landon's confused look, she clarified, "Gideon works here as a ranch hand. There's a lot to keep track of, after all, even if the Pokémon live as they would in the true wild."

"That makes a lot of sense," Landon replied. "As you were saying…?"

"I know. I just wanted to express my gratitude that you came out all this way…Especially when I haven't been completely honest with you—I know you're from Union Ent."

Ari just about jumped out of his chair at that, and even if his fellow agents' reactions were more controlled due to the years of experience they had on him, it was still quite obvious that they were equally shocked. "You _know?_ " Ophelia asked, her voice a little sharper than usual. "Then why the charade? And I apologize for being blunt, but _how_?"

"My father worked closely with a man named Jeremiah for several years, and they remained good friends afterwards. I'm not sure how involved he might have been in Union Ent., but I know he must have been somehow, because when the incidents began getting worse, I called my father for advice, and he said he'd see if he could pull in a favor. A few days later, he called me back and said that Jeremiah was going to send some of his people to look into things here."

"But," Leanne continued softly, "He also warned me that if word got out that I had Union Ent. members investigating, the issues on the preserve could escalate. I'm sure Luke isn't quite fooled by your cover, but he's fifteen and has trained a number of strong Pokémon already. I;m sure that, if worst came to worst, he's be able to defend himself. But the twins aren't quite nine…For their sake, I'd like to keep your connection to Union Ent. a secret."

"We'll do that." Ari promised. "Can you tell us a bit more about the preserve?"

Leanne's face brightened a little. "Of course. We have about eighty-six species of Pokémon living on two thousand acres of land, not counting the additional dozen or so that pass through at different parts of the year. Most of the preserve is open grassland, but there are also forested and craggy areas, which as you can imagine is what drew such a variety of Pokémon in the first place. The area is also unusually rich in water sources, having both a lake and a river, and there are a number of scattered ponds—one of which is in the area my husband and I consider the backyard. You probably glimpsed it as you came in to land."

Ari hadn't, but his side of the copter had been facing away from it as they had approached. Ophelia nodded slightly, then asked, "What kinds of Pokémon should we expect to see while we're here?"

"We have a decent mix of species from Kalos, Unova, and Kanto, as well as a few that originated from Johto, Hoenn, or Sinnoh. With the way species migrate these days, there are some that you can't say originated in one region, but on the individual level, there are slight physiological differences that hint at where they came from. That's actually quite important, as we sometimes have to bring in new Pokémon to maintain a diverse gene pool. I'm not expecting you three to keep track of that, though—you'll have enough on your plate without looking for those slight differences."

"Do you have a printout of your last census? It would help us know a little more about what to expect."

"Of course. I'll make sure you have a copy tomorrow. I assume you'll be getting started then?"'

Ophelia opened her mouth to reply, but was cut off as the limp bundle of fur in Ari's lap suddenly came to life with a yowl and the young agent found himself trying to fend off Prowl's sharp claws. The little Pokémon scored a pair of strikes across Ari's nose and right cheek, drawing blood, before leaping to the floor and sprinting off deeper into the house.

"Oh my goodness!" Leanne exclaimed, jumping up from her chair as Ari clapped his hands to his face. "Are you all right? I'll go get the first ai kit."

"I've got one in my bag." Ophelia cut in, going into medic mode. Digging out the kit, she pulled out a large ball of cotton and some rubbing alcohol, dampening the cotton as she stood and strode briskly over to Ari. "Put your hands down and let me look at those scratches."

"Ophelia, I'm fine." Ari protested, though he let his hands fall back into his lap, wincing as it caused the marks on his face to sting even more fiercely. "Just give it a few minutes to stop bleeding."

"They still need to be cleaned out to prevent infection," Ophelia replied, and as she leaned in to examine the clawmarks she hissed, "And I don't care if you're part Pokémon and have a faster healing ability."

Knowing he wasn't going to win the argument—and wanting to avoid getting Ophelia any more ticked off at him—Ari kept his mouth shut as Ophelia gave the scratches a quick once-over with the damp cotton ball, dabbed the deeper marks a second time, and handed him a gauze pad to hold to his face until it stopped bleeding. Part of him wanted to point out that he could have tended to his face himself, but he knew that Ophelia was always going to be a bit protective of him after what had happened during their last big mission. _She probably sees me as a younger sibling,_ he thought, _one that happens to grow feathers and pull inane stunts that get him shot._

Which, quite honestly, wasn't too far from the truth. Not that Ophelia would admit it.

There was a loud buzz from what Ari assumed was the kitchen, and Leanne jumped at the sound, before suddenly relaxing. "Sounds like the lasagna's done." A few seconds later, the door slammed, and she amended her statement. "And the kids are back, too. Let's finish this discussion once they've gone to bed."

* * *

Later that night, as he polished the blade of his dagger by the light of the moon and a small desk lamp, Ari reflected on the plight of the ranch. As she had promised, as soon as the twins and a reluctant Luke had been sent to their rooms, Leanne had told them the entire story.

As it had turned out, Leanne had somewhat downplayed the plight of the preserve when first telling the agents of the situation—understandable, considering how desperate she was to hide the truth from her children. For in addition to suffering from vandalism, several traps had been found on the property, one of which had been downright inhumane. A number of Pokemon had already been wounded, two severely, one being one of the Arcanine that had been trained to help guard the preserve—its injuries had been bad enough enough that her husband had had to take it to the nearest Pokemon Center, and he was still there, waiting to know if it would be able to fully recover.

The other, also in critical condition, was the partner of a young Ranger who had been recently assigned to the preserve as their first post-graduation assignment. Unlike the Arcanine, its fate was still unclear.

The Ranger herself had been traumatized by the incident—not only was there a chance she would lose her partner, but had her partner not been running just a few steps ahead of her, she would have set off the trap.

After that incident, Leanne had dismissed the men and women who helped her and her husband run the preserve, from the young Rangers stationed there to learn all the way to the oldest employee—a man in his late sixties who spent most of his time in a cabin deep in the preserve, monitoring the Pokemon living there and chasing away any ne'er-do-wells who stumbled onto the property after a night of drinking. They had all been reluctant to leave—the preserve, after all, was far too much for two people to handle on their own—but Leanne had been insistent, still in agony over what had happened to the youngest Ranger's partner, and what might have happened to the girl had she been the one to trigger the trap. Only Gideon had remained, stubborn to the point of hiding in the crawlspace under the house until Leanne had caught him sneaking food out of the pantry. She's been furious, of course, but since Gideon was able to be an extra set of eyes and ears while her husband was away, the two had quickly reconciled their argument.

 _And that,_ Ari mused, sliding the polishing cloth along the length of his blade, _brings things full-circle, to our involvement._ It had only been a week and a half since the young Ranger's near-fatal accident; just long enough for Leanne to have contacted her father, who had in turn contacted Jeremiah. Just long enough for the situation to be analyzed, agents selected, and a suitable cover to be decided upon to avoid generating further suspicion. Of course, Ari wasn't entirely sure that that could be entirely avoided—even if their arrival coincided with the usual time of a census of the preserve's population, the fact that they had arrived after all of the usual help had been dismissed was rather suspicious. On the other hand, as Ophelia had pointed out, if the vandals—not to mention the owner of the traps—suspected that they were at risk of being discovered, they might think twice about causing further incidents, or at least scale down the severity of their methods—and while the former would make it harder to ultimately apprehend them, the latter would at least ensure that the risk to the everyone involved was dramatically decreased.

There was also the fact his team was only just finding out about the more sinister aspect of the assignment—the traps. _That_ was something that Ari wasn't at all happy with. Traps of the kind Leanne had described suggested Hunters, and based on the fact that one of them was quite possibly lethal, either a ruthless personality, or a Hunter who didn't care about their target. Either way, it was a problem—if he wasn't careful, he could end up losing Aeon, or one of his other trusted partners…or in serious trouble himself.

Why hadn't this been included in the information given to them before they'd left? It would have been _incredibly_ useful to know that there were Hunters—or at least, suspected Hunters—sniffing about. Perhaps that information had simply been lost—hadn't Kenji mentioned something big going on in one of the other regions? If it was that important, Jeremiah was likely preparing for the oncoming storm, trying to make sure every possible scenario was accounted for, including those involving the safety of his daughter. It could be that it had just slipped his mind…As unlikely as that seemed.

Whatever the reason, Ari couldn't help but feel uneasy. Something about this situation just didn't make sense.

* * *

 _ **For anyone who's curious, I ultimately calculated the size of the preserve in the same way one calculates how much space a herd of buffalo needs, substituting Tauros and Bouffalant for said buffalo (Although, admittedly, I did this so long ago I forgot how many buffalo/Tauros/Bouffalant I initially had, but I think it was a couple hundred) and tacking on some additional space for good measure, considering how many species of Pokemon live in the area. If it's too big, let me know-but please, don't do it in a flame. I'm doing my best, considering that I've never been to a national park, and that I suck at estimating distance. I spent a lot of time comparing the stats of nature preserves and national parks to try and figure out how large the preserve needed to be, and even now I'm still a little worried I goofed up. :/** _


End file.
